NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Two of Niagara hockey’s newest alumni signed their first professional contracts this week after the Purple Eagles’ season came to an end in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals last weekend. Defenseman Vinny Muto and forward TJ Sarcona are beginning their professional careers as teammates after signing with the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
Muto, a native of nearby Niagara Falls, N.Y., set career-highs in games played (39), goals (six) and blocked shots (73) as a senior this season. In 136 games as a Purple Eagle, Muto tallied 12 goals and 38 assists from the blue line, setting a career-high with 19 points (5+14) in 37 games as a freshman, leading to Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team accolades in 2014. An assistant captain in the 2016-17 season, Muto scored two goals and one assist in five games during Niagara’s 2017 playoff run that included a three-game upset of the two-time Atlantic Hockey defending champion RIT Tigers.
Sarcona, from West Islip, N.Y., was the leading scorer of Niagara’s senior class this season, totaling 62 points (25+37) in 136 games played. He set career-highs of 11 goals, 11 assists, and 22 points as a freshman in the 2013-14 campaign, and he served as an assistant captain for the Purple and White from 2014 to 2016. This season, Sarcona scored two goals and nine assists in 38 games, including a three-point effort (2+1) in a 5-4 Niagara win over Mercyhurst on Nov. 15, 2016.
Both Muto and Sarcona signed with the Rush late Wednesday and made their professional debuts Wednesday night on the road against the Idaho Steelheads. Rapid City and Idaho face off again at 9:10 p.m. ET on both Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18.
The Rapid City Rush are affiliated with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes and AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners and compete in the ECHL’s Mountain Division. The Rush sit at 22-31-8-0 this season with 11 games remaining in the regular season.
